


Don't Know Why You'd Run (All I know is I want to bring you home)

by Dessa



Category: Star Wars: Rebels
Genre: Gen, Phoenix Nest Discord
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-13
Updated: 2019-09-19
Packaged: 2020-10-17 21:16:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 1,730
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20627663
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dessa/pseuds/Dessa
Summary: While on Garel, Kanan finds something that would change his life.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [stardustgirl](https://archiveofourown.org/users/stardustgirl/gifts).

> Title comes from Elvis Presley's "Kentucky Rain"
> 
> Seven lonely days  
And a dozen towns ago  
I reached out one night and you were gone  
Don't know why you'd run  
What you're running to or from  
All I know is I want to bring you home

Kanan grumbled as the sky opened up. Of _course_ it had to start raining before he got back to the _Ghost_. And not just raining. A torrential downpour. He was going to be soaked. And he bet there'd be a line for the 'fresher, too. And if _Zeb_ had been caught out in this... Kanan shuddered to think of using the shower after the Lasat.

He'd just picked up the pace when something stopped him. No, not _something_. The Force. The same Force he'd spent 14 years trying to ignore, was definitely trying to get his attention now. He looked around, trying to find what had caused the disturbance. He couldn't see anything, and almost moved on, when he heard a weak cough. Following the sound, he saw a pile of rags. No. Not a pile of rags. It was a person. A child, really.

Kneeling down, he gently moved the child so that he could see his condition. Torn, muddy clothes, most likely from laying in the street for who knows how long. But what worried Kanan was how shallow he was breathing. “Kid?” he called out softly, tapping the boy's cheek. No response. He shook his head. Hera was expecting him back, but he couldn't just leave the boy here. Checking the amount of credits he had on him, he knew that it wouldn't really be enough to get much help, but he had to try. Picking the child up, he looked around, before just letting the Force guide him to the nearest med center that could help.

The two women in the center, one human, one Bith, looked up when he came in, and, seeing the condition of both him and the boy, immediately got to work. The Bith took the boy from him, shaking her head as she could hear the condition of his breathing, and immediately took him to the back. The human came to Kanan, offering him a towel, and asked if he was alright. “W-wet, that's all,” Kanan replied, his teeth chattering from the cold. “It's the kid I'm worried about.” She nodded, and guided him to the back, where the Bith was already working.

A breathing mask had been placed over his face, and scans were seeking out any other problems. An alert notified them that drugs had been found in his system. _Serious_ drugs. The Bith turned on Kanan.

“What did you do to this child?!”

“I didn't do anything! I found him in a ditch in this condition!” Kanan insisted.

Both women watched Kanan for a moment, then nodded to each other, accepting his response, for now, at least.

“He's suffering from an overdose,” the human explained, checking the readouts. “I'm shocked he survived, with this much in his system. You were right to bring him here.”

Kanan let out a breath of relieve he didn't even know he was holding. “Will he be alright?”

The human shook her head. “It's too soon to know. We'll do what we can for him, though.”

“Thank you,” Kanan replied, watching the Bith work. He remembered they had to be paid. He rummaged around for his credits. “I know it's not enough, but...”

The human put her hand over his, stilling him. “No. You saved his life, despite not knowing him. That's payment enough.” She glanced at the chrono. “There's nothing you can do for him, and we have to close the office. Come back in the morning.”

Kanan wanted to argue, but also knew that Hera would be worried sick at this point. And not the good kind of worry that might get him somewhere, either. “I'll be back. I promise.”

She nodded, and Kanan hurried out, back into the storm.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kanan finds out more about the boy.

Hera had been angry with him, until he explained his delay. She relented, slightly, but still told him he should have commed her. She also informed him that he was welcome to the shower, but that Zeb had long since used it. So, sighing, he took his shower, dried his clothes, and went to bed.

The next morning, as soon as it was open, Kanan was at the med center. The human met him with a soft smile. “He's doing much better,” she told him, as he entered, then lead the way to the back.

The Bith was sitting next to the boy's bedside, and looked up as the two came in. He still had a breathing mask on, and they'd changed him from his wet rags to a hospital robe, but even Kanan could see that he was breathing more steadily, and he had a bit more color to his face.

“We've managed to clear most of the drugs from his system. He's also malnourished, but it seems that he will make a complete recovery. We just need him to wake up so that we can get his information and reunite him with his family.”

“Do you mind if I sit with him?”

“Feel free,” the Bith replied, standing up so he could take her place. “We have other things to do, let us know if anything happens.”

Kanan nodded, and took her seat, waiting for the child to wake up.

~~~~~

A few hours later, Kanan came out of a meditative state at the sound of the child groaning. He looked over and saw the boy's eyes fluttering. He could feel he was starting to panic, and Kanan moved so that he was in the kid's eyesite. “Calm down, you're okay.”

His breathing slowed back down, and Kanan could see his mouth moving. He gently moved the breathing mask, so the boy could speak.

“W-where am I?” the voice was raspy and weak.

“You're in a medcenter,” Kanan told him. “On Garel,” he added as an afterthought. If the kid had been drugged, he might not have even been from Garel originally. “I'm Kanan. I found you unconscious in the rain and brought you here.”

“Thank—thank you.”

“Can you tell me your name?”

“I--” the boy froze, eyes going wide. “I don't know!” He started to panic again, and Kanan put his hand on his arm, using the Force to will him to calm down. It surprised him to meet resistance, knowing that only one thing could cause that. Eventually, though, the boy calmed down, and Kanan replaced the breathing mask.

“Get some rest. I'm going to go talk to the medics.” The child nodded, and closed his eyes.

As soon as Kanan was sure he was asleep, he walked back out front. “He woke up, but he doesn't know who he is.”

The Bith sighed. “I was afraid of that. The drugs he was given can have many side effects, and amnesia is one of them.”

“Which is bad news for him, too,” the human added. “We checked his DNA against the databases here on Garel, and had no hits. We further checked missing person listings for the entire sector, and there's no one matching his description.”

It was Kanan's turn to sigh. “So we have no clue who he is, or where he came from?” Both women shook their heads. “What are his options, then?”

“Not a lot. If there's no one to claim him, we have to turn him over to Imperial custody. And after that... well, I've heard that there's not a lot to look forward to for wards of the state.”

Kanan bit his lip. “You mind if I step out and make a call? I need to inform my captain where I am.” They nodded, and Kanan stepped outside.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hera is mad at Kanan, but eventually relents.

“Kanan Jarrus! What in the name of the Goddess were you thinking?!” Hera yelled.

Kanan ducked his head. “Hera, I have to help the kid! And he's got no one!”

“So why do we have to be the ones to take him in?!”

“Hera...” Kanan lowered his voice, so passerbys couldn't hear. “Hera, the Force led me to him.”

“And you saved him. That's what it wanted.”

“Hera, if no one takes him in, he'll go into the system.”

Hera shuddered at that thought, but persisted. “And while I feel horrible for that, we are not equipped to take in a child!”

“Hera, he's...” Again, he dropped his voice. “He's Force-sensitive.”

“Kriff.”

~~~~~

“Mr. Jarrus, are you certain?” Hera had accompanied him inside, and had gone with the Bith to check on the boy, while Kanan made the arrangements.

“What can I say, I feel for him. My... mother... died when I was young. I know what it's like to be alone.”

“And your wife...?”

Kanan blanched. “Ah, no, we're not married. She's the captain of the ship I work on. She's already agreed to take him on.”

“This is rather irregular, you know... normally we'd have to transfer him and you'd have to apply through the system to adopt...”

Kanan made a slight motion with his hand. “It would be too hard on him, to go through the system, in his condition.”

Her eyes glazed over slightly. “It _would_ be hard on him, going through the system...” She shook her head slightly, as if to clear it. “Anyway, let me finish filling out this paperwork for you.” She paused. “Oh... the boy doesn't know his name... what should I put?”

Kanan thought for a moment. “Dev. Dev Morgan.”

“Alright, then.” She finished a few notations, then slid a datacard out of her pad and over to him. “Here you go, Mr. Jarrus. You have officially adopted Dev Morgan. I hope he's happy with you.”

“Thank you,” Kanan said, slipping the card into his belt. At that moment, Hera, the Bith, and 'Dev' came out of the back. The kid was heavily supported by Hera.

“Here is a list of medications that shouldn't conflict with the Lotiramine. But be careful, he's still severely malnourished, and needs to take it easy for quite a while while he builds his strength back up.”

“I understand, thank you very much for taking care of him.” Hera moved to join Kanan, who knelt down in front of him.

“So, I've officially adopted you, so you're gonna come home with me and Miss Hera. And until you can remember your name, we're gonna call you 'Dev,' okay?”

The boy nodded, still clinging to Hera.

“Good luck with him, Mr. Jarrus,” the Bith told him, and he waved as he and Hera escorted 'Dev' out the door and to the Ghost.

**Author's Note:**

> Join our Rebels Discord! https://discord.gg/JZ3Xzjd


End file.
